December 20, 2012

 So - this happened this weekend.  We were basically white trash this past weekend.  On Friday we took Owen to the bar with us, which was actually not that bad because we were at Genna's for a friend's birthday celebration.  However, we then popped over to the Silver Dollar and it just seemed wrong to have a baby there - so we left there after about 10 minutes.

I do love this picture above though.  Owen's face is priceless.  And for those who are considering contacting Child Protective Services, it was a shot of Bailey's and we were sober - so no need for an investigation.

Pictured here are the lovely hostesses of the party and whose evil minds concocted shots for the new parents.  I learned that I will do pretty much anything a woman with 80s shoulder pads asks of me.  That outfit really brings ugly sweater parties to another level.  I love it.

I finally put my Booze Cakes recipe book to use this weekend.  I made pink champagne cake and think this will be making another appearance at New Years.

   

 

I love pictures of babies sitting on the couch together.  However, it will be a bit better when Owen is able to sit up on his own.  Not pictured:  Emilia getting fresh with Owen and grabbing the Santa on his butt.

Round 1 of Christmas is under our belts.  Barret's parents are en route to Thailand for Christmas so we celebrated with them this weekend.  Owen is going to be one spoiled little guy.

This is what happens when you stay home with a baby all day - you take awkward photos and wear polar bear pajama pants all day.  The hat is a gift from a friend and the stocking was knit by Barret's mom.

I took a little trip to Milwaukee this week - thankfully before Thundersnow began.  It was a good test run for our drive up to Minnesota - Owen slept the whole time in the car.  We stopped in to see my friend Sarah and Owen's friend Reed.  We believe they were playing together - I think that is just how babies play - lay next to each other and maybe swat at a thing or two.  Then we stopped at my old law firm to visit with co-workers.  I miss our reality tv and celebrity gossip times at work.  It was good to see everyone, but I certainly do not miss making that drive.

My beautiful little Owen has been super into punching and kicking lately.  Unfortunately, he does not have much in the way of coordination.  He is starting to get some use of his activity map now though.  He also likes to just sit and kick me in the stomach - I know that he likes it because he keeps doing it and smiles while assaulting me.  This newfound love of kicking has made changing his diaper more of a challenge.  As you may recall, the kid loves his changing pad.   So not surprisingly, he loves to sit on his changing pad and kick and punch like a maniac.

I had to take this little butterball to the doctor this week and discovered he is weighing in at 12 lbs 9 oz.  The nurse needed a urine sample from Owen.  If you are wondering how they collect urine from a baby - they basically tape a plastic bag around him to collect it - seemed to work.  It reminded me of when we needed to get a urine sample from Murphy about 2 months ago - that was a job for Barret.

First Bottle

The fateful day of introducing the bottle came this past week.  I thought I would be excited to have Owen using a bottle occasionally so that I might gain some freedom, but I was not.  First, pumping is terrible.  As if I did not already feel like a cow - enter the breast pump.  It also does not help that Barret refers to the process of nursing as milking (although he has not been allowed to use that phrase since Owen entered the world).  Second, it turns out I totally understand those moms that refuse to give up breastfeeding.  There is something special about being able to nurse your child and it is a great bonding experience.  I somewhat worry that I may carry on the practice for a bit too long.  If I turn out to still be nursing Owen and having him sleep in my bed when he is as old as the child in the picture - please intervene.

Amy and Amanda came to visit us this past weekend.  What is crazy - we have been friends for sixteen years.  Back then we were riding our bikes around, sneaking out to Teen Night at Tropics, and getting samplers at Applebee's.  Now, I have a baby, Amanda just got engaged, and Amy just bought a new house.  Nevertheless, we are not too old to have sleepovers and rock matching polar bear pants.

Barret felt a little excluded, so decided to put on his Simpson pants. 

It was a wild weekend of hanging out at my house and gossiping.

Owen has been super smiley, which is so much fun.  However, he can also be serious at times.  Now, he is smiling at time other than being on his changing pad.  He is also still burning through a shocking amount of diapers - I keep waiting for that day to come when he only goes through 8-10.  I was trying to pump the other day so I set him down on my bed and he seemed content - then he started crying so I checked and he had a wet diaper.  I was just finishing up, so I popped his diaper off and snapped his onesie back on - figuring he would not have to pee again within the next five minutes.  I was wrong.  He started crying again just a few minutes later and I was left to wash our bedding.

These are our stockings, and I find it incredibly sad that Murphy has the nicest stocking.  Barret's is by far the worst - it was the stocking he had a prior law firm and they decided to let him keep it.  I actually like mine but decided it was time to update from "Baby's First Christmas."  Also, our newest addition does not have a stocking.  So I ordered some new stockings - now I just have to figure out what to stuff in Owen's.

What the hell did Brandi say about Adrienne?  Usually, I am kind of annoyed because I know what happens on these shows before they air - like that Leah's (Teen Mom 2) facebook love interest ends up being her husband and she is pregnant again.  But, this time I scoured the internet for a good hour and could not find out what was said.  According to the gossip blogs, it is speculated that she commented on Adrienne using a surrogate, but I find it odd that such a statement would warrant such a reaction and a lawsuit.  This episode gave me horrible flashbacks of studying for the bar and what elements are necessary to constitute defamation - so I then decided to make some granola bars.

Being super domestic - I made homemade granola bars.  I also taste-tested them before taking a picture to make sure they were up to snuff.  They were tasty.  Here is the recipe - I added peanut butter chips as well:

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

Housewifey

This Saturday we attended the longstanding tradition of Friends Thanksgiving.  Last year, I was camped out in the basement with the other ladies consuming several bottles of wine.  Ah - how the times have changed.  This year we had babies:  Avalyn (6 months), Owen (5 weeks),and Reed (2.5 weeks).  This was my first time meeting Reed and I was super excited because his mom was my pregnant friend this summer - we talked about longing for a glass of wine, ate many popsicles and went to prenatal yoga together.  Reed did not disappoint.  However, I remember my friends with young babies who came to visit the first week or two after Owen was born and commenting on how small he was and how they don't remember their own babies being so small.  I thought 'these women are crazy, it was only a couple months ago and their babies were actually smaller.'  Well - I am also crazy.  Reed looks tiny and it was only a few short weeks ago that Owen was that size.  So I am sure it is just around the corner that I start commenting on how quickly babies grow up.  I feel like I have officially arrived in the crazy mom club - and I am ok with that.

 To continue with the crazy mom arena - my baby is a genius!  He is already reading.  I am actually not that crazy (not like an Alex from RHONYC) - but I was excited that he has been showing interest in this soft book.

And the soft book was a gift from Owen's future BFF - Mason.  He came by for a playdate with his mom and Becky on Saturday.  Murphy was just waiting for Mason to drop some of his sweet potatoes, but unfortunately, Mason did not splatter his food all over.

Just being awesome...

Owen went to a music class on Tuesday with myself and some mom friends.  He is not the greatest musician yet, but soon he should be able to master the tambourine.  We then went to see Santa - 2 of the 4 kids cried, but Owen just stayed asleep.  I am pretty sure he asked Santa for more milk and for Murphy to stop licking him.

It took until about last week for me to find the ambition to cook actual meals again.  I started throwing Owen in a sling during the day and it has changed my world.  Our floors are vacuumed and I am able to make meals.  This was a fairly ambitious side dish, but pretty easy to make.  It is just roasted vegetables with pomegranite seeds and feta.  I say it was ambitious because required breaking down a butternut squash and gathering seeds from a pomegranite - it was totally worth it.  My housewifedom seems to be approaching full circle this week - cooked, cleaned, and hung out with other ladies during the day.

I was very disappointed in Real Housewives of Miami last season.  DC still stands as the worst season Bravo has ever put out there, but I would put Miami right behind it.  So, I was not expecting much when they started season 2; however, Bravo has upped their game and sucked me in again (like they always do).  They added some new characters (drunk model who slept with Joe Francis, crazy dentist, attorney who cannot let go of her ex-husband, and a plastic surgeon's wife who I actually like).  Anyway, the episode this week featured Adriana (pictured above) throwing a lovely dinner party for her in-laws fiftieth wedding anniversary.  It appeared to be a very nice and fancy event - then she came out in this outfit and did a little dance/shimmy for everybody.  I cannot imagine that this is what your in-laws are hoping to happen at their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  Sorry Van Sicklens, but I will not be putting on this costume and a dance for your fiftieth.  First off, I will be 50 years old when that happens and am pretty sure no one would want to see that.  Second, pretty sure in-laws never really want to see that, regardless of age.  Nevertheless, I do have to say that she looks good - but should maybe just save that for her own anniversary - but she would have to get married first.

One Month Down

It's all downhill from here, right? 

  

We have actually had things pretty easy thus far.  However, Owen does not like sleeping in his crib and seems to be getting up more at night.  Therefore, we have started instituting co-sleeping.  It seems as though this is somewhat frowned upon; however, my philosophy is whatever keeps him alive and helps me maintain shred of sanity is ok.  Granted, I do not want to have 10 year-old Owen sleeping in my bed, but seems to work pretty well for the time being.  I think we will start making more of an effort to keep him in his crib in the coming weeks.  There is an extra push for this now that he has figured out how to use his arms and fists.  There is nothing quite like getting woken up by your one-month old baby punching you in the face.  Babies are freakishly strong.

The other thing Owen has learned recently is how to smile.  While I wish this picture was taken of Owen smiling in response to my face, sadly, it is not.  It is actually a picture of him on his changing pad.  I am not sure what he sees here (contrasts in colors or is just super into the wooden shelves above) but he loves the view from his changing pad.  He will sit there and smile for minutes and squeal in delight.  Oh and I also know that he is not smiling because he is happy about getting a clean diaper. 

 Owen's other area of interest is staring at the ceiling fan in our living room.  When he seems to be getting angry, we just lie him down to gaze at his ceiling fan.  It works some of the time...

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Does my baby need spanx?  Both Barret and I have googled "is our baby too fat" and "is baby getting fed too much."  Thankfully, the answer to both queries is no. 

 

This photo belongs in the prior post, but I figured I would put it here anyway.  This is Barret's four generation photo.  I am guessing Barret will have a head of grey hair before he becomes a Grandpa.

I fancy myself a bit of a Real Housewives aficionado and realize that I have not commented on the numerous seasons currently being aired.  That will change soon.  My other area of expertise is Teen Mom as well as Teen Mom 2 (you could also roll 16 and Pregnant into that package).  As the scary stages of labor approached a mere one month ago, I remember thinking "if Chelsea can do this, I can."  Oddly, it helped.  Anyway, in the most recent episode, Jenelle opted to serve 45 days in jail because she cannot stay on probation any longer due to her inability to stop smoking weed (it's not even a real addiction).  The kicker is - she wanted to move her check-in date to prison so she could go to her Ke$ha concert.  Ke$ha, seriously?  You could not pay me to go to a Ke$ha concert.  I am annoyed at even putting her name with her stupid money sign in my blog.  At least she was not planning on going to the concert with Kiefer.

First Bath and Thanksgiving

We are not that neglectful of parents that we just gave Owen his first bath.  However, it was his first bath in the tub this week - prior to that - we were giving him sponge baths on his changing pad.  As you can see, he was not digging the bath at first.

Murphy was of course very concerned when he heard the wailing and decided to assist Barret with bath time.

Eventually, he grew to somewhat like the bath and we ended up with a clean baby, who was somewhat happy.

We spent a lot of time lounging this week.  We finished watching season 1 of Homeland - which was amazing.  Then, AT&T decided to give us free Showtime this weekend.  So Barret and I took down the 8 episodes of season 2 that were on demand the Friday after Thanksgiving.  It was a great day and not at all depressing....  I am now wondering if we will end up purchasing Showtime to see how the season concludes.

Uncle Nick came to town for Thanksgiving and stayed with us for a couple days.  He mastered diaper changing in that time and was really good with Owen.  I think we may have to refer to him as Uncle NeNe.

We do not have any of the photos yet, but Barret's family took a four generation photo over Thanksgiving (Owen, Barret, Barret's dad and grandma).  Becoming a great-grandma is quite a feat in itself, however, this is the fourth four generation photo that Barret's grandma has been a part of.  I think that is very special.  I never had any great grandparents, but Owen is very lucky to have 3 great-grandmas and 2 great-grandpas.  I am guessing I will never get to be a great-grandma, unless Owen becomes 16 and Pregnant, but I have to imagine that it is a pretty great title to have.

300 Diapers and Counting

I haven't actually been counting the amount of diapers that Owen goes through, but he is approaching 3 weeks old and I am pretty sure he has gone through close to 300 (9 or 10 packs of 30 diapers).  Now that his umbilical cord is healed up, we have started using cloth diapers.  My friend, Alyssa, introduced me to these Best Bottoms diapers from Nicki's Diapers.  They are pretty great - although - they are comically large on our little baby for the time being.  However, he is now over 9 pounds and in 3 month clothing, so these diapers will probably be fitting appropriately very soon.  Plus, they are very stylish.

My mom and sister came down for a few days.  My mom also brought her dogs, Bea and Tesa.  Bea gave Murphy a run for his money in terms of which dog was in charge of watching Owen.  Bea made her way into the background of nearly every picture that was taken while they were in town (I think she was on a walk during the picture of my sister above).  It was awesome having my mom in town.  She stays up much later than Barret and I (as do most people over the age of 10 and under the age of 70) - so she would be happy to take Owen at about midnight if he was still awake.  I now understand why stay-at-home moms have nannies.

Although Holly was not on late night baby soothing or diaper duty, she did provide Owen with a lot of good Auntie cuddling time and got him some sick new outfits.

Those dinosaur slippers are compliment of Aunt Holly as well as the I Rock outfit.  She got a ton of other great outfits that Owen will be sporting over the next couple weeks.

I have not figured out a way to get paid for endorsing products on this blog... perhaps I need to be slightly more famous, but this stroller is amazing.  It is a City Mini GT.  We went back and forth on whether we actually needed to spend so much on a stroller, but it was totally worth it.  A lot of the criticisms on reviews had to do with the fact that it does not come with any accessories - which is kind of annoying but we just ordered a car seat attachment and a parent counsel (to hold beverages on the handle bar, but has not yet been installed) in addition to the stroller.  I would highly recommend this stroller and say that it is definitely worth the price.  Since the weather has been so nice lately, I have managed to venture out on my own with the baby and Murphy and have minimal difficulty navigating my way throughout the neighborhood.  Problems only arise when Murphy spots his nemesis (a white dog that lives a few houses down) or a squirrel that he thinks is within his grasp.